Databases are widely used in computer applications to collect, store and retrieve user information. For example, once a user inputs user information into a particular computer application, the information can be used by the application to prefill application pages, thus streamlining the user's successive uses of the application. For example, computer applications, such as world wide web (“WWW”) e-commerce applications, use databases to collect, store and retrieve a user's billing address, credit card information, and previous purchases. This information is then used to prefill web page forms upon successive uses of the WWW e-commerce applications. Other examples of such computer applications include stock tracking applications and travel reservation applications.
Existing computer applications, however, do not derive the structure of a group of people, or community, communicating over a computer network. This structural information would be quite useful in determining, analyzing, and improving how people work together. Further, these computer applications are limited in that, without an understanding of a particular community structure, they cannot predict the next step in a community procedure or derive work flow procedures and rules for a particular community.
It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method for building a database that stores transaction information representative of an organizational structure of a community of users of a computer network.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for deriving the structure of a community whose people interact with one another, on a computer network through a computer applications service.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for predicting the next step in a work flow process for a particular community whose people interact with one another on a computer network through a computer applications service.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for deriving work flow procedures and rules for a particular community whose people interact with one another on a computer network through a computer applications service.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for branding users of a particular community to track the identity of a third-party web site that refers or attracts each user of the community to the computer applications service.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the description of the invention that follows.